Former deputy of the Smolensk City Council and combat veteran in Ukraine, Maxim Baranov, posted a video on his Telegram channel showing him running alongside a car carrying Adam Kadyrov—the son of Chechnya's leader. The footage drew attention from pro-government bloggers.
The post appeared on May 17. According to Baranov, he was undergoing trials to earn a maroon beret at the time. The video shows the younger Kadyrov driving the car at low speed while the official runs parallel to the vehicle.